AUSTRALIA BACKS KOSOVO FOR WORLD BANK BUR WON'T

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000450 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2019 TAGS: EFIN PREL KVPR AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA BACKS KOSOVO FOR WORLD BANK BUR WON'T LOBBY OTHERS REF: A. A. STATE 41665 ¶B. B. STATE47360 ¶C. C. CANBERRA 00428 Classified By: Classified by: Political Counselor: James F. Cole, for r easons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Australia will vote in favor of Kosovo's membership in the World Bank. In order to assure a quorum, Australia's Executive Director is urging all 13 nations in their World Bank constituency to vote; however, the GOA will not lobby others to vote in favor of Kosovo's inclusion. End summary. ¶2. (C) Sean Singh, Director of the Southern European Section at DFAT, told Poloff on May 13 that Australia's will vote for the inclusion of Kosovo in the World Bank, consistent with its vote in favor of membership in the IMF. ¶3. (C) Kevin Playford, Manager of the World Bank Unit at Treasury said their World Bank constituency representative would vote for Kosovo's membership. Australia's executive director at the World Bank is also strongly urging all 13 members of its constituency to vote, but would in no way attempt to influence the outcome of that vote. ¶4. (U) The 13 member constituency, which is slightly different from the IMF constituency, includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Korea, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. CLUNE